Formation British Expeditionary Force (World War I)

british troops 4th battalion, royal fusiliers (city of london regiment) resting in square @ mons 22 august 1914, day before battle of mons

under terms of entente cordiale, british army s role in european war embark soldiers of british expeditionary force, consisted of 6 infantry divisions , 5 cavalry brigades arranged corps , ii corps. in october 1914, 7th division arrived in france, forming basis of iii corps , cavalry had grown form cavalry corps of 3 divisions. december 1914, bef had expanded such extent first army , second army formed.

by end of 1914, after battles of mons, le cateau, aisne , ypres, old regular british army had suffered massive casualties , lost of fighting strength had managed stop german advance.

left right, generals french, joffre , haig behind front. general smith-dorrien second right.


command structure

the force commanded field marshal sir john french until december 1915, when replaced general sir douglas haig. bef s chief of staff on mobilisation general archibald murray. replaced in january 1915 general william robertson. lieutenant-general launcelot kiggell served chief of staff december 1915 january 1917 when succeeded lieutenant-general herbert lawrence. 2 initial army corps commanded douglas haig (i corps) , horace smith-dorrien (ii corps).

kitchener s new army

as regular army s strength declined, numbers made up, first territorial force, volunteers field marshal kitchener s new army. end of august 1914, had raised 6 new divisions , march 1915, number of divisions had increased 29. territorial force expanded, raising second , third line battalions , forming 8 new divisions, supplemented peacetime strength of 14 divisions. third army formed in july 1915 , influx of troops kitchener s volunteers , further reorganisation, fourth army , reserve army, became fifth army in 1916.